Here’s a little quiz for you. Australians were expected to spend $157 million on chocolates over Easter in 2013. And this year, Australia’s largest Easter egg hunt at Werribee Park in Victoria has already sold out. What do these facts tell us?

That’s right – Easter has become one of the most profitable holiday seasons of the year.

After Christmas, it’s perhaps the biggest opportunity to kick-start a marketing campaign and get your company’s profits leaping. As well as the benefits for retail and food industries, there is tremendous opportunity that also exists in less obvious industries – such as health and beauty, travel and even business-to-business companies.

Take Mercedes-Benz. It’s not a company you’d expect to see embracing the Easter holidays, but lo and behold in 2013 it used direct mail to send camouflage-decorated eggs to American soldiers who test drove the latest G-Class model. Very clever publicity. The same rules apply to your Easter campaign as for any marketing campaign: make it interesting, unique, and give customers a good reason to pay attention.

Here are some egg-cellent ideas you can use this Easter:

1. Create an Easter Event

Easter is a time for families, so why not host a fun family Easter event for your customers? It’s one of the quickest ways to get your products and services in front of people, and will also show your appreciation of their loyalty and custom. Send a direct mail invitation to your customer database and plus use letterbox drops to target households in the local area – take inspiration from this fantastically creative invitation for Singapore Zoo’s Easter Egg Hunt. While the kids are hunting for eggs or chasing the Easter Bunny, take the opportunity to capture parents’ attention with colourful product displays and demonstrations. Be sure to have lots of flyers and brochures for customers to take home.

2. Sponsor an Event

Don’t have the time or resources to organise an event? Why not sponsor a local Easter event instead! Chances are there are some local schools, associations and sports clubs hosting a special Easter BBQ or Easter egg hunt. Make some calls and find out if you can provide some prizes on the day. If so, get real bang for you buck by attending the event and giving out flyers with your branding.

3. Win-Win Competitions

Have a little fun with your Easter marketing! Hide Easter eggs on your flyer and tell people to text the number of eggs they find. Correct answers before a certain date get a voucher or discount for your services. The LDN SMS response system is an easy, low-cost tool to run the competition. Take a look at our flyer example and see exactly what we mean. It’s win-win for your customers and your business.

4. Loyal Eggs

Just like the lucky recipients of the Mercedes-Benz eggs, people love receiving little surprises in the mail. Select your most loyal clients to receive a special Easter gift. This could be a coupon, gift voucher or limited time offer – but whatever you choose, be sure they know they’re being rewarded for their loyalty.

5. Baskets at the Ready

Consumers are lured in by speed and convenience. If you’re a retailer, create ready-made Easter baskets for children and adults, packaging your best-selling Easter-themed products at a bundled price.

6. Easter Holiday Tips

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to get customers to stick your flyer on their fridge (and here’s why). A great way to do this is to fill the flyer with useful tips and ideas on what to do this Easter holidays, Easter recipes or even a colouring activity for kids. Don’t forget to add your business details and branding!

7. Embrace the Easter Spirit with Gusto

Even the most innovative Easter marketing ideas never stray far from three themes: eggs, bunnies and chicks. For your letterbox campaign, eggs-periment with die-cut egg or rabbit shapes to capture attention. Use traditional Easter colours – pastels, yellows and greens. Promote your early bird specials with chicks hatching out of eggs. And no Easter promotion is complete without some cute Easter puns: Add some egg-citement to your Easter! Don’t miss out on these eggs-treme savings! Make this Easter eggs-stra special! Super cheep deals!

Finally….don’t put all your eggs in one basket

As with every marketing campaign, it’s important to embrace multiple channels for maximum success. Take advantage of the tools, opportunities and resources available to you to maximise your budget and reach your target market. At ImagiWorks, not only are we marketing experts, we can also design your next campaign via the skill set of our team of professional graphic designers! Best of all, you can get a quote for all your design and marketing needs all in just minutes on our online marketing form.

What are you waiting for? Hop to it!

Article courtesy of Chloe He